Culture In Business
As we continue on this path of globalization, being able to communicate effectively cross-culturally is becoming a critical function in the business world. The need to understand culture in business interactions is exactly why I chose to pursue an MIM degree rather than the more traditional MBA.
I found a website today that not only has a very interesting blog about culture, but it has a wealth of information about the cultures of most countries. This blog posting really caught my attention:
Need for Intercultural Managers:
In today’s world the list of qualifications for many management positions is of more and more resemblance to the Renaissance man. Sure you must understand some finance and economics and of course business strategy is a must-have for success. Then throw in some leadership and marketing know-how with a dash of sheer creativity and what do you get? You get someone who still needs to understand how to deal with people from a multitude of different cultures and then capitalize on burgeoning international markets.
Cultural diversity is extremely prevalent in our work force and populations. A company who wants to be successful needs management that both embraces this notion and understands it. The reality is that this is not happening enough. “Many leaders are operating on an old conception of the world around them and of human nature, including the nature of work, the worker, and the management process itself,” John Saee explains.
Effective cross-cultural communication starts with an understanding of ones own culture and personality. We tend to filter everything that happens around us through our past experiences, both cultural and personal. We can’t really begin to understand other cultures until we understand what shapes our own perceptions.
If you’ve not had the opportunity to have a personality assessment, I highly recommend Insights. To be perfectly honest, I was skeptical about the process myself. But it wasn’t until I really analyzed the data afforded by the assessment that I started to understand how my past experiences shape the way I react to the things around me.
Second, it is important to be proactive about cross-cultural experiences. When I know that I’m going to be dealing with another culture, whether it be because I’m going to travel, working on a project with with members from diverse cultural backgrounds, etc. I do some research on the typical cultural traits and customs of that culture. I really focus on areas where I think there might be conflict, or at the very least misunderstanding. It is important to look at the differences from both perspectives.
Last, try to be as open minded as possible. We Americans have a tendency to be judgmental about other cultures, beliefs and customs. However, from my own experience working on cross-cultural teams, I’ve found that it is the differences that give the team its strength.
[...] a tendency toward cultural insensitivity. I’d barely finished yesterday’s post, “Culture In Business” when I saw this article: “Absolut vodka pulls ad showing California in [...]